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Is it possible to stop supplimenting at 6wks?

Hello everyone,

Okay, I have a few questions... or should a say a ton. I have a 6 week old daughter, and I have been supplementing her since about 2 weeks per doctor’s advice. Now, 4 weeks later, I am tired of doing the bottle and the breast, and would like to start breastfeeding her 100%. She takes anywhere from 2 to 4 ounces now due to her 6 week growth spurt. Since I just moved to a new home in a different state due to my husbands new job I have no insurance and no pediatrician for one more month (SCARY with a new born!! But you play the dice as they land), so I really have no one to ask but the LLL. Plus, I feel really strongly that I want and need nursing to work. Is this possible? How do I go about doing this? Do I need to worry that I will hurt her? How many diapers should she fill each day now that she is 6 weeks old if I do start weaning her off of formula? How many oz can I safely reduce each day, and how many days should I reduce them (i.e. reduce 1oz, and let her increase my supply for 3 days, then after that reduce 1 more oz for an additional 3 days, etc.)? I don’t want to hurt her, nor force the breast on her, but she seems really willing to take it, and I want to give her the best nutrition possible at the lowest cost.

Some additional information... The reason I was told to supplement was because my daughter was not gaining quickly and she wasn't having a ton of wet diapers. Yet, she was gaining. It was a really stressful time. My husband had just gotten a new job 2 months before her birth, and I stayed back with family to finish the move and to have the baby because insurance wouldn’t kick in until 2 months after her birth. So I was taking care of 2 toddlers and a new born with some assistance from my parents whom we were living with at the time until 2 wks postpartum, preparing for a move, and going to school online. Well during that time I breastfeed about every two hours, but sometimes it was 3 to 4 hours because of kids or grandparents wanting to hold her (now it can sometimes still be 3 to 4 hours due to raising two toddlers by myself in a town I don't know very few people), and she was a sleepy baby so she didn't demand to be fed often. I also discovered during my pregnancy that I have hypothyroidism, but I am being treated for it, and it is within normal ranges, but not as low as the doctor wants it (he wants me at a 1 and I am at a 4, 5 is when they deem one hypothyroid). It is a slow process to get it there, and I fear that to get to a 1 will take several more months. Will this affect my ability to produce if I am in normal ranges, but still high? I have not had very good success with my other two kids. I supplement with my son from 2 weeks also, but I was able to feed my other daughter fully on the breast until she was 4.5 months when a thrush problem exploded, and school midterms hit heavy, something had to give, so the breastfeeding did. This time I am going to school online so my hours are more flexible, and I really REALLY want to breastfeed, but it hit a rough patch from the beginning. Is it possible to change things around this late in the game, or is it something that I just need to give up on again? Someone please help me, I really want to do this, but it feels like the same old story again.

Re: Is it possible to stop supplimenting at 6wks?

Wow, that was fast

Her supplementing is kind of sporatic. She usually doesn't take any formula after 10pm, only the breast because she is a good sleeper and I get full enough to fill her stomach at the couple night feedings, but when she wakes completely in the morning around 9 she will take 3 to 4 oz, then after that she will take about 2 oz every other feeding until about 8pm then she goes to one 3oz bottle, and then one 1 to 4 oz bottle at 10pm when we go to bed.

As for the links that helps a lot!! Thank you so much for your help!! How fast should she be gaining? At this point is it still about .5 to 1 oz a day?

Re: Is it possible to stop supplimenting at 6wks?

Originally Posted by loga9776

How fast should she be gaining? At this point is it still about .5 to 1 oz a day?

ideally, she should be gaining anywhere between 5 and 8 oz a week during the first couple of months - but as long as she is gaining, things are going well! The actual numbers aren't as important as keeping her on a steady incline!

Last edited by sch.mommy; April 18th, 2008 at 05:08 PM.

~Jenn~

mother of 2 boys!08/14/98~~03/20/08Birth: 7lbs 12oz, 1 year: 22lbs 11oz until he self-weaned 4 days before his third birthday ... still on occasion ... and happily ************************************************** ************************************************** *****************People need to understand that when they're deciding between breastmilk and formula, they're not deciding between Coke and Pepsi.... They're choosing between a live, pure substance and a dead substance made with the cheapest oils available. ~Chele Marmet